Employers and Employees Share Their Insights on Workplace Wellness

As part of the National Employee Wellness Month, employers and employees across the country were asked to provide their insights and opinions on workplace wellness, preventive health behaviors, and the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs.

DOWNLOAD A SUMMARY OF THE 2011 FINDINGS

Healthcare costs continue to rise, but increasingly, employers are adopting proactive strategies to curb costs and create healthier workforces – and employees are getting onboard with the effort.

INCENTIVES ARE KEY ELEMENT OF WELLNESS PROGRAM SUCCESS

  • More than 76% of employers report healthcare cost increases over the last year (some as much as 10% or more)

  • Nearly 90% of employers now rely on employee health and wellness programs as a strategy to slow rising costs

  • Approximately 75% of employers offer some form of incentives with their wellness initiatives

  • Yet incentives aren’t one-size-fits-all. More than 38% of employers offer incentives between $100-500, while more than 22% offer incentives in the $501-1,000 plus range.

  • Nearly 88% of employees said incentives were important to their participation in wellness programs

SOCIAL NETWORKS PLAY STRATEGIC ROLE IN SPURRING, MAINTAINING ENGAGEMENT IN WELLNESS INITIATIVES

  • 44% of employers said creating a supportive social community in the workplace had helped increase engagement

  • Nearly 30% of employees said social networks in the workplace helped them get started with healthier behaviors.

  • More than 38% of employees said social networks in the workplace help them stay on track with good health.

  • Peer competition is important: nearly 35% of employees said peers were instrumental in helping spur higher daily activity levels

  • Nearly 36% said the ability to share progress, update peers and remain accountable was a key benefit of their workplace wellness program

WELLNESS BUDGETS ARE ON THE RISE

  • Nearly 65% of employers plan to increase their investments in employee wellness in 2011

MEASURING WELLNESS PROGRAM IMPACT CONTINUES TO PRESENT CHALLENGES

  • More than 65% of employers have attempted to measure the impact of their wellness initiatives

  • 61% rely on manual approaches, anecdotal data, or employee surveys

  • 23% of employers have leveraged technology to measure program impact

  • Of the employers who measure program impact, only 23% are satisfied with their current approach

  • Despite challenges in measuring program impact, nearly 68% of respondents said data gained from measurment was impactful for executive decision-making purposes

EMPLOYEES WHO MAKE POSITIVE HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE CHOICES REAP THE BENEFITS

  • 69% of employees report improved activity levels

  • 64% of employees report feeling healthier and happier

  • 50% of employees report weight loss or improved BMI levels

  • 17% of employees report paying lower healthcare premiums due to participation in wellness initiatives

  • 11% of employees report lessened reliance on medications to control exisiting conditions